THE Oxjam Auction of Promises, held at the Daffodil Restaurant on Friday, July 11, has raised over £10,000 for national charity Oxfam.

The event, sponsored by Cass Stephens and Mercedes Benz, brought together local businesses in a bid to place Oxjam Cheltenham at the top of the Oxjam leader board.

Auction lots included a golf day for two at Manor House, a photo shoot by Provoco, a beautiful ring from Beards Jewellery, a Mercedes Smart car and a holiday at Monate Game Lodge, South Africa.

Fiona Stephens, married to Mark owner of the Daffodil and also Fundraising Manager for Oxjam Cheltenham says "The event has been a resounding success and I’m so pleased that we’ve smashed our target in the first fundraising event. We were aiming to raise £8,000 over the four events so to have raised over £10,000 in the first one is just incredible".

Amelia Roberts, Takeover Manager says "We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors and supporters. We couldn’t have done it without them. We are now turning our attention to the next event, the Chelt’n’Jam Bake off at Manor by the Lake on Sunday, August 17. We’ll also have to reset our target!"

The Chelt’n’Jam Bake Off encourages all budding bakers to enter their masterpieces to be judged by a panel of experts including Xavier Pelloux, former Harrods wedding cake designer.

The afternoon will be filled with lots of activities for families including decorating cupcakes and a bouncy castle.

To enter your creation, visit the website www.oxjamcheltenham.com